We have a leadership crisis. Men are not leading their families and are abandoning mothers and children to fend for themselves. Employers are forcing their most impoverished employees into unemployment over forced vaccine mandates, our children are suffering as they are pulled back and forth with the tides of change, and our veterans suffer the consequences of a world at war. Livelihoods are being stolen as taxes, gas, and food prices climb higher and higher, and when we look for solutions from our leadership, we discover they are the ones creating the problems. As a mental health provider it's difficult to listen day-in and day-out to the flood of fear and pain resulting from the unending waves of problems.
Intentional leadership happens inside our home and everywhere outside of it.
I am a simple thinker. I look at a problem and try to solve it in a simple manner. Complexity only prolongs the suffering and results in higher costs (emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial). There is a term called, "Intestinal fortitude," which means that someone is able to stomach a difficult situation because they possess courage, fearlessness, and have a heart that is rooted in valor and virtue. This sounds a lot like "tolerance" to me. Where people can sit in a situation they don't agree with as long as it doesn't directly affect them as they tolerate watching others suffer. Many people are complaining about their unhappiness with others in their lives, but they only complain. They point at the flaws of their spouse, their employer, their friendships, their children, even their politicians, but don't DO anything beyond complain because they are able to tolerate their discomfort. They are upset because the problem as they see it is, "They won't change!" But, the complainer also isn't changing. They want to have someone or something to complain about, to be a victim, and if they leave their abuser, they won't have the excuse of being a victim anymore, so they stay and complain.
I believe we have a shortage of people with, "Intentional fortitude," which is defined by me as leaders who possess these qualities of courage, virtue, and valor and take action to challenge injustices intentionally. In other words, there are a whole lot of people who are looking for leaders to stand up for what is right and what is true and who can create a pathway others can follow. Leadership cannot happen haphazardly by reacting to situations. Leadership must be intentionally, with a plan, and the proper execution of that plan will determine a successful outcome - or not.
We have turned into a society of complainers and we need a society of doers to rise up. If you don't agree with something you have no control over, change you. If you're unhappy with what is happening to you, your family, your job, your finances, make a decision for change. Establish your boundaries and expectations. What are you not willing to tolerate anymore? Ask yourself what you want, look at your options, and then determine how you will change your circumstances. When you sit in a car with someone else behind the wheel and they refuse to take you where you want to go, pounding your fist on the dashboard and screaming at someone who isn't listening doesn't help. Maybe you need to take the wheel or even get out of the car all together. When change is required, most often the one needing to change is the one doing the most complaining.